One thing I’m known for is for sharing my Ten-Minute Oasis method of de-stressing during a busy day. Another thing I’m known for is my love of birds, especially the ones in or above my backyard: chickadees, house finches, wrens, sparrows, juncos, jays, titmice, pine siskins, goldfinches, towhees, woodpeckers, crows, seagulls, bald eagles, sharp shinned hawks, flickers, robins, hummingbirds et al.
It’s fitting to write about a day when these two things intersected.
Today was such a day.
I took an afternoon break with a bunch of grapes in a bowl, my Panama straw hat and sunglasses on, and settled into a backyard chair to stretch out my legs in the sun. A perfect, sunny, and calm backyard oasis.
The moment I sat down I noticed movement off to my upper right. I looked and my eyes met those of a Steller’s Jay looking right back at me through the horizontal slats of my tall metal planter wall. After a brief staredown he flew off, soundlessly.
While eating grapes I noticed a very tiny bee resting on my left leg near my knee. I reached for my iPhone and started to take a video. It rose up just then, hovered briefly, let its legs dangle a few times (was it stretching?) and flew purposefully towards my phone. It stopped just above, looked at me (likely seeing its own reflection in my sunglasses), then flew up and over towards my face, taking a sharp turn before my nose and landing on my bare left shoulder. It stayed there for a few more seconds then took off.
Click here to watch the bee!
I was chuckling at the tiny thing, and that I couldn’t even feel it on my skin. Then I happened to look down and saw the teeniest of spiders (no bigger than 3 mm) starting to make a web on my leg. Sheesh – so much tiny creature activity going on in just 5 minutes.
The last three grapes were a bit squishy so I didn’t eat them. Instead, I placed them carefully on the edge of my stone bird bath/watering hole, before going back inside. A gift for the backyard crow. It had been here earlier in the day with its mate. The crow couple had been bringing dried bread and crackers to soak in the water before eating. The other night, when I was cleaning out the water, I found a chicken bone.
A little later in the day I saw the crow come back and carefully pick up one of the grapes. It put it in the water several times, eventually flying away with the grape in its beak – likely an offering to its mate. About 10 minutes later I looked out the window and the second grape was gone. In its place, floating in the water was a big chunk of bread with a large mound of butter on it. It looked like a floating toy from a distance.
It was quietly gone soon afterwards.
The third grape had already rolled off to land under the Hosta, just about to bloom.
Click here to watch the crow!
: : :
Dr. Baumgaertel serves patients and clients in her telemedicine consultation, advocacy & medical coaching business, myMDadvocate in Seattle, Washington.